Improvement in vacuum brake-pipe couplings



a. WESTINGHOUSE, Jr.

Vacuum-Brake Pipe-Coupling.

WTNE 5 5 E 5- MAW.

N-PErERs, Puoro-umoe UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, JR, or PITTsBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN VACUUNl BRAKE-PIP E COUPLINGS Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,489, dated August 10, 1875; application filed March 19, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WESTING- HOUSE, J r., of Pittsburg, county ofAlleghcny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Vacuum Brake-Pipe Coupling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in which like letters indicate like parts.

Figure 1 shows a pair of my improved couplings, one-half being in section and the other half in elevation, and Fig. 2 is a cross-section through a: m, Fig. 1.

lWIy present improvement is particularly designed for use in coupling up the brakepipes in vacuum-power brake apparatus; and for the most part consists in an improvement -on the coupling described in Patent No.

136,397, granted to me March 4, 1873.

The' couplings B B are connected by the thimbles b b with the flexible hose. The main part or body of each half-coupling consists of a shell, d, with three or more ribs (1 projecting inwardly from its inner cylindrical face.. The spaces between these ribs constitute the through passage-way for the air. The inner faces or edges of the ribs (1 are bored out true, so as to form asupport for the cylindrical valve or piston-case a, which is slipped therein, and into its outer open end is inserted a valve, 0, having a cylindrical guide-barrel, c and a stem, 0 on which is arranged a spiral spring, a, which forces the valve out to and holds it to its seat when the couplings are uncoupled. This and the other flange being forced into close contact with the ribbed or corrugated coupling-mouth by means of a ring, 9, forced in inside its tubular face, shall give a secure joint at that point, and also thereby hold it in place. The valve 0 seats outward, and at its outer end it terminates in a stem, 0

which in the uniting of the couplings comes against a like stem of the valve in the next coupling, so that in coupling up both valves are thrown ofl' their seats and an open passage-way is provided from the brake-pipe of one car to that of the next.

The couplings are counterparts of each other, and are united by spring-hooks m ongaging beveled catches a in the usual manner and for the usual purposes. The brakes may then be appliedby the exhaustion of the air in any of the ways known to the art.

The principal object of the valve 0 is to close the couplings in case they should separate, and also to close and keep closed the rear coupling of the rear car; but in order that (a vacuum or partial vacuum being made inside the brake-pipe) external atmospheric pressure shall act with the least possible force, if at all, in opening or holding open the valves, I make one or more ports, 6, preferably through the valve-head and iiiside its annular seating face, so that there will be the same air pressure acting inside the valve to force it outwardly to its seat as there will be outside of it to force it inwardly from its seat, supposing, of course, the area subject to such pressure to be the same on each side of the valve 5 but in order to get a large area of air-passage I make an annular projection, 1', on the valve, and use this projection as the seating part of the valve to seat on the rubber ring 8. Then, to counter balance the excess of inward pressure resulting from this enlarged area subject to air pressure from without, I make use of the springs a, though preferably the spring is made a little stronger than is required for this purpose, in order that the seating of the valve may be insured in all cases when the couplings are disconnected either accidentally or by design, and such spring I claim as an element in my improved construction, whether used with or without the balancing of the valve, in whole or in part, by air pressure,

and regardless of the form of the spring;-

hence,

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a pipe-coupling, the valve or piston case a as a carrier and guide for the valve,

arranged in the axial line of the coupling by= ports e, and spring a, substantially as set means of radial ribs (1 projecting inwardly forth.

from the outer shell, substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 2. In a pipeeoupling, the combination of my hand.

valve 0 piston extension 0 case a and spring a, arra nged substantially as and for the pur- WESTINGHOUSE poses set forth. Witnesses:

3. The annular projection 11 as the seating JA'MES M. OHRIsTY, part of the valve, in combination with port or GEORGE H. OHRIsTY. 

